Michelle Diehl, composer, is primarily known for her chamber and orchestral works featuring the violin.

Michelle Diehl (b. 1962, Minneapolis) has a rich background as a performer and a composer. Equally at home in the solo, symphonic, and chamber music genre, she taps her varied instrumental skills in composing music ranging from soliloquies to tangos. A tireless craftsperson, her works embody artisanal attraction to balance and purity. Her works are often lyrically eloquent, rhythmically compelling and appeal on a broad intellectual and emotional spectrum.

Ms. Diehl is a violinist with the Augustana Orchestra. She studied violin with Esther Wentzel and Minnesota Orchestra violinist Ladi Stanisha.

When she's not composing original works, she enjoys working on arrangements of the works of the great baroque masters and romantic composers.

Her professional affiliations include membership in the International Alliance for Women in Music (IAWM), the American Music Center, American Composers Forum and ASCAP.

A longtime resident of Minneapolis and Key West, Florida, Ms. Diehl now resides in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Old World vs. New World

It's human nature to be a little skeptical of the unknown or something new. I think some people are a little leery of works by contemporary composers. When they enter the concert hall and there's a new work on the program, they think, perhaps unjustly, they won't be able to relate or understand what the composer is trying to say.

I like to take a more traditional route with my composing. I hope to write works that will cause the listener to lean forward in their seat during the performance and will be humming the piece as they leave the concert hall.

Today's audience member need not fear contemporary music for it can provide a comfortable transition from the past.

A Dance by Candlelight (2008), 4:53 mins, str qrt.
Quartetto Rococo (2008), 4:36 mins, str qrt.
Highland Rain (2008), 3:17 mins, solo vln, pno.
The Call for Spring (2008), 6:04 mins, solo vln, str orch, harp.
Soliloquy (2008) 4:02 mins., str orch, tubular bells and drum.
Cerulean Suite for Strings, 4 movements (2008), 11:37 mins., solo vln, str orch.
Liebe und Sieg (2007) 5:49 mins, pipe organ.